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ESPN's Power Rankings: BAL 5th, CIN 11th, PIT 19th, CLE 28th

Last we checked, the New Orleans Saints were the defending champions thanks to a 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.

As we unveil the 2010 training camp edition of ESPN.com's NFL Power Rankings, the Colts and the Saints rank Nos. 1 and 2, respectively. A preseason Power Rankings title is no replacement for the Lombardi trophy, but the Colts can take some solace in the distinction.

The Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens round out our top five.

Among the big movers since the Week 18 edition of the 2009 Power Rankings was published in January: The Washington Redskins leaped from No. 29 to No. 20, thanks in part to the addition of quarterback Donovan McNabb. The Eagles, who traded McNabb to their NFC East rivals, tumbled from No. 7 at the end of last season to No. 17 this summer.

Look for the next edition of our Power Rankings on Sept. 7, two days before the Vikings visit the Saints to kick off the regular season.

Editor's note: "LW" indicates each team's ranking in the Week 18 edition of the 2009 Power Rankings.

2010 Power Rankings: Offseason
RK (LW) TEAM REC COMMENT

1 (1) Colts 14-2-0 Their fate might depend on what others have done to narrow the gap. (Kuharsky)
2 (5) Saints 13-3-0 The Saints should not expect another magical season because every team is different, but they still can contend for the Super Bowl. (Sando)
3 (3) Vikings 12-4-0 Brett Favre is waiting for a two-hour TV special to announce his return. (Walker)
4 (4) Cowboys 11-5-0 The Cowboys are loaded and will look to secure a Super Bowl "home game." (Clayton)
5 (11) Ravens 9-7-0 The defense-heavy Ravens finally believe they have a high-powered offense. Scary thought. (Walker)
6 (6) Packers 11-5-0 Improved pass protection for QB Aaron Rodgers could go a long way. (Walker)
7 (12) Jets 9-7-0 With 12 Pro Bowl position players, the Jets are loaded to challenge the Pats. (Clayton)
8 (15) Falcons 9-7-0 The fortunes are looking up again now that RB Michael Turner is healthy and apparently in great condition. (Sando)
9 (10) Patriots 10-6-0 Who keeps the Patriots ahead of every other AFC East team? Tom Brady. (Clayton)
10 (2) Chargers 13-3-0 I'd like the Chargers a lot more with WR Vincent Jackson than without him. (Kuharsky)
11 (9) Bengals 10-6-0 This is the deepest Bengals team of the Marvin Lewis era. But can it handle a first-place schedule? (Walker)
12 (19) 49ers 8-8-0 The defense is already strong and the offense is finally in position to improve -- if QB Alex Smith is ready. (Sando)
13 (21) Dolphins 7-9-0 It's up to QB Chad Henne to see if he can compete against the big boys in the AFC East. (Clayton)
14 (14) Texans 9-7-0 Pass defense might determine the Texans' fate more than anything else. (Kuharsky)
15 ( Cardinals 10-6-0 Keep an eye on youngsters Beanie Wells (RB) and Early Doucet (WR) this season. Arizona needs them. (Sando)
16 (20) Giants 8-8-0 Tom Coughlin must sort out the defensive problems to keep the Giants in contention. (Clayton)
17 (7) Eagles 11-5-0 Even though the Eagles have tons of talent, their schedule pulls them down. (Clayton)
18 (16) Titans 8-8-0 The Titans are going to be an offensive football team. (Kuharsky)
19 (13) Steelers 9-7-0 The first 4-6 games without QB Ben Roethlisberger could make or break their season. (Walker)
20 (29) Redskins 4-12-0 New QB Donovan McNabb should add a TD per game to the Redskins' offense. (Clayton)
21 (22) Bears 7-9-0 Do people realize QB Jay Cutler is just 24-29 as a starter? (Walker)
22 (1 Panthers 8-8-0 Carolina has the NFL's youngest roster and a head coach entering the final year of his deal. (Sando)
23 (17) Broncos 8-8-0 I'm betting QB Tim Tebow scores a TD on opening day in Jacksonville. (Kuharsky)
24 (26) Raiders 5-11-0 Did the Raiders build a pretty good defense? (Kuharsky)
25 (27) Seahawks 5-11-0 Immediate expectations for QB Charlie Whitehurst subsided pretty quickly once Seattle hit the practice field. (Sando)
26 (23) Jaguars 7-9-0 If only the Jaguars resided in the AFC West ... or the NFC West.(Kuharsky)
27 (2 Chiefs 4-12-0 The Chiefs are hoping safety Eric Berry will provide immediate help. KC's defense ranked 30th in 2009. (Kuharsky)
28 (25) Browns 5-11-0 The first year of the Mike Holmgren era could be rough. This team lacks talent across the board. (Walker)
29 (31) Lions 2-14-0 After the 2009 season, the Lions have nowhere to go but up. So does the pass defense, which ranked 32nd last season and allowed 266 yards per game.(Walker)
30 (30) Buccaneers 3-13-0 How well can a young head coach with a defensive background manage Josh Freeman, a franchise QB entering his first full season as an NFL starter? (Sando)
31 (24) Bills 6-10-0 The only thing the Bills can look forward to is the 2011 draft and a new quarterback. (Clayton)
32 (32) Rams 1-15-0 The big question heading into camp is whether rookie QB Sam Bradford can earn the starting job by Week 1. (Sando)

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Re: ESPN's Power Rankings: BAL 5th, CIN 11th, PIT 19th, CLE 28th

Poop on these these ranking. I'm sick of all this love for Baltimore (I know that this premature love may actually work against them).

Ed Reed is going to start the season on the PUP list, Kindle did his best Humpty Dumpty impression (and I mean that nicely) and will miss alot of time, and they are still ranked this high???

We will be without Ben for the first 4 games of the season (2 of which are against teams that are bottom feeders of the league) & we lose Colon/Holmes and were left for dead. Yes Colon loss does hurt -but it's not a season killer. I'm confident Wallace can help us forget about Holmes quickly.

I hope the Jets beat the pi$$ out of Baltimore on Monday night in week #1!!

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Re: ESPN's Power Rankings: BAL 5th, CIN 11th, PIT 19th, CLE 28th

Lets pile all these genius media Preseason rankings and predictions into one thread so we can have a good laugh at the end of the season.

Those ESPN rankings might as well have us in 28th place, tied with the Stains for all its worth. I don't know how any logical person can look at last season's results (no loss greater than 6 points or whatever and think we are in that bad of shape. Granted the QB is missing some action...)

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Re: ESPN's Power Rankings: BAL 5th, CIN 11th, PIT 19th, CLE 28th

People make so much of being without Roethlisberger for a month (but seem to ignore the fact that we missed a couple of other Pro Bowl calibre talents for 3 months last year and still had a winning season and missed the playoffs on the basis of tiebreakers).

If all else were equal, which team would be more competitive?

A team with Ben Roethlisberger at QB, Tyrone Carter at SS, and Nick Eason at DE?

Or a team with Byron Leftwich at QB, Troy Polamalu at SS, and Aaron Smith at DE?

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Re: ESPN's Power Rankings: BAL 5th, CIN 11th, PIT 19th, CLE 28th

Weren't we #1 in this thing this time last year... Actually, I take that back. We were #2, because they had the ***'s #1 because Brady was back. Colts were #3, and the AFC was a mortal lock to win another SB. That worked out well.

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Re: ESPN's Power Rankings: BAL 5th, CIN 11th, PIT 19th, CLE 28th

Originally Posted by TallyStiller

Weren't we #1 in this thing this time last year... Actually, I take that back. We were #2, because they had the ***'s #1 because Brady was back. Colts were #3, and the AFC was a mortal lock to win another SB. That worked out well.

I actually went back and looked, and at this time last year, we were ranked #1. Guess who was 19th at this point last year like we are now? I'll give you a hint...they also wear Black and Gold, and are owners of some new flashy finger bling...

[url]http://espn.go.com/nfl/powerrankings/_/year/2009[/url]

NFL Power Rankings: Training Camp edition
ESPN.com

Training camps are opening. Rosters are bursting at the seams with prospects, each hoping to make that final cut before Week 1.

Why not wait until Week 1 to consider the league's hierarchy? This has been one of the busier offseasons in memory. Here we are with your ESPN.com NFL Power Rankings: Training Camp edition.

We've streamlined operations this season. Instead of 12 experts weighing in weekly, we have four who will cast their votes. See the box for details.

Little has changed from the top of the May 2009 Offseason Power Rankings, when the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts owned slots No. 1-5, respectively. Our panelists are counting on the likes of Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Philadelphia halfback Brian Westbrook to overcome their respective offseason issues.

The symmetry ends at No. 6, where the San Diego Chargers displaced the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens, now ranked 10th, plunged in the aftermath of wide receiver Derrick Mason's unexpected retirement this month.

ESPN.com's Power Rankings
The rankings were determined by a poll of four voters on ESPN.com's NFL staff: writers John Clayton (AFC East, NFC East), Jeffri Chadiha (AFC North, NFC North), Paul Kuharsky (AFC South, AFC West), and Mike Sando (NFC South, NFC West). They voted on all 32 teams, and their last names are logged after their comments about the respective divisional teams.

On the upswing: the Minnesota Vikings. In anticipation of Brett Favre's signing with the Vikings -- as we write this, the former Green Bay Packers and New York Jets quarterback still was undecided -- our voters moved Minnesota up five spots to No. 9 overall.

Other teams receiving significant promotions include the Seattle Seahawks (up four spaces to No. 18 overall) and San Francisco 49ers (also up four places, from No. 26 to No. 22, Seattle's old slot).

Nothing much has changed at the bottom of the rankings, where the Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams and Detroit Lions occupy slots No. 30, 31 and 32, respectively.

Look for our next edition of the offseason rankings just before Week 1.

(Editor's note: LW indicates each team's ranking last week -- in this case, in the May 2009 Power Rankings.)

2009 Power Rankings: Offseason
RK (LW) TEAM REC COMMENT
1 (1) Steelers 12-4-0 They won the Super Bowl. What else do you need to know? (Chadiha)
2 (2) Patriots 11-5-0 Tom Brady won't throw for 50 TDs, but he has too much firepower to throw for fewer than 30. (Clayton)
3 (3) Giants 12-4-0 So who is Eli Manning's go-to WR now that Plaxico Burress is gone? Maybe Michael Irvin can offer to make a reality show out of that search. (Clayton)
4 (4) Eagles 9-6-1 The Eagles' ownership did the right thing giving Donovan McNabb a contract extension. (Clayton)
5 (5) Colts 12-4-0 Reports of the Colts' demise are exaggerated. Bill Polian and Peyton Manning remain in place. (Kuharsky)
6 (7) Chargers 8-8-0 The Chargers could have the easiest path to a division title of any team in the league, and that's just being polite. (Kuharsky)
7 ( Titans 13-3-0 The second year of Mike Heimerdinger's offense can provide the jump needed to offset their defensive losses. (Kuharsky)
8 (11) Falcons 11-5-0 With a healthy line, this offense should know no bounds with Tony Gonzalez joining Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and Co. (Sando)
9 (14) Vikings 10-6-0 They're ranked this high in anticipation of Brett Favre joining them. (Chadiha)
10 (6) Ravens 11-5-0 The Ravens lost OLB Bart Scott, WR Derrick Mason and D-coordinator Rex Ryan. Expect a decline. (Chadiha)
11 (10) Panthers 12-4-0 Power rankings voters are still trying to shake visions of Jake Delhomme tossing all of those INTs in the playoffs. (Sando)
12 (9) Cardinals 9-7-0 The defending NFC champs barely crack the top 12 and that came only with an assist from their generous divisional blogger. No respect. (Sando)
13 (12) Bears 9-7-0 Jay Cutler can't do it alone. The Bears need to show they have legitimate WRs before they enter the top 10. (Chadiha)
14 (13) Cowboys 9-7-0 Tony Romo dumped Jessica Simpson. Jerry Jones dumped T.O. Maybe the Cowboys can concentrate on football. (Clayton)
15 (15) Dolphins 11-5-0 Many teams that go from worst to first experience a three-game drop the next season. The Fins are fighting the odds favoring an 8-8 record this fall. (Clayton)
16 (1 Texans 8-8-0 The Texans have made defensive upgrades, but the secondary remains a concern. (Kuharsky)
17 (17) Packers 6-10-0 A lousy defense in 2008 is switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4 this fall. Don't expect a quick turnaround. (Chadiha)
18 (22) Seahawks 4-12-0 Matt Hasselbeck's back held up through minicamps and OTAs, the first small step toward Seattle moving up in the rankings. (Sando)
19 (16) Saints 8-8-0 One of the NFL's oldest teams needs better luck with injuries to rebound and contend for the division crown. (Sando)
20 (19) Redskins 8-8-0 The Redskins made the best free-agent signing in DT Albert Haynesworth. They need a better offense to make the playoffs. (Clayton)
21 (21) Bills 7-9-0 T.O. should be good for double-digit TDs. Trent Edwards must cope with double-digit headaches and one-sided shouting matches. (Clayton)
22 (26) 49ers 7-9-0 First-round draft choice WR Michael Crabtree gets a training camp crash course after rehabbing a foot injury. (Sando)
23 (20) Jets 9-7-0 New coach Rex Ryan will make the defense better, but expect the offense to struggle as the Mark Sanchez era begins. (Clayton)
24 (23) Bengals 4-11-1 Big question: Can Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco become a dangerous duo once again? (Chadiha)
25 (24) Jaguars 5-11-0 The Jags made good strides in adding youth and character, but that will take a while to translate into victories. (Kuharsky)
26 (27) Buccaneers 9-7-0 The Bucs have fallen faster than any team this offseason, but they don't have to be this bad. Steady play at QB would fix a lot. (Sando)
27 (25) Broncos 8-8-0 Maybe the Broncos' changes actually are ingenious and they're on the upswing, but it's hard to see it. (Kuharsky)
28 (2 Browns 4-12-0 The same Rob Ryan who did a dismal job of running the Raiders' D is in charge of the Browns' unit. This can't be encouraging. (Chadiha)
29 (29) Chiefs 2-14-0 It's hard to forecast a quick turnaround, but it's happened before when there's good leadership in place. (Kuharsky)
30 (30) Raiders 5-11-0 The Raiders seem dysfunctional on many levels, but Denver and K.C. might be in their range. (Kuharsky)
31 (31) Rams 2-14-0 The Rams' projected starting O-linemen earned the highest average Madden 2010 ratings in the division. Hmmm. (Sando)
32 (32) Lions 0-16-0 The Lions lost every game last season. What else do you need to know? (Chadiha)

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Re: ESPN's Power Rankings: BAL 5th, CIN 11th, PIT 19th, CLE 28th

I don't have a problem with this ranking as the season is getting ready to start. It simply acknowledges that we have some challenges to overcome. I look forward to seeing the Steelers meet and beat those challenges.

If this were amateur football where the "rankings" matter it would be a problem. This is the pro's and the team will make their own fortune (plus or minus injuries, etc).